Chapter Text
The view from the bus window looked like endless forest punctuated by grain fields and lakes. Bojan was starting to regret this already. Strange countries didn’t faze him, but spending a month bumfuck nowhere in a strange country was a whole another matter. Oh well. Even with the contract he had signed, he doubted they would chase his ass to Slovenia if he bailed out prematurely.
The bus had no screen or announcements, so Bojan had claimed a front seat and asked the driver to let him know when his stop was due. Now the guy was gesturing at him, so he really hoped it was the right place. He retrieved his suitcase from the luggage compartment and then he was alone among the fields.
The bus stop was just a sign with the picture of a bus next to a tiny wooden roof, at the edge of a grain field, with woods stretching to infinity on each side of it. Someone was supposed to pick Bojan up, but there was not a single person or car in sight. Things were getting off to a great start.
Bojan had just grabbed his phone to try to figure out where he was and how to proceed when he spotted a car driving towards him on the otherwise empty road. A hand reached out of the window to cheerfully wave at him.
The car stopped next to him and two men got out. They were both fairly short and sporting bowl cuts, one of them brown and the other dyed black. It made Bojan feel like he was in a bizarre movie. For a moment he wondered if they were brothers, but no, they probably weren’t. Against the odds, they were both attractive, especially the guy with black hair.
“Bojan Ican’tpronounceyourname?” black bowl cut asked him in a heavy accent, but managing to not butcher Bojan’s first name. The Slovene couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s me.”
“I know because I googled you, sorry. I’m Jere and this is Tomi.”
Bojan offered his hand, but the Finn motioned for a hug, which Bojan accepted. He hadn’t expected Finns to be this touchy, though he didn’t mind at all. The other guy hugged him as well, slightly more reserved.
“Nice to meet you”, Bojan said. “I thought no one was coming.”
“Of course we come”, Jere said and smiled. His smile was very cute.
He placed the suitcase in the trunk. Bojan was going sit in the backseat, but Jere gestured for him to ride shotgun instead.
“You have food?” Tomi asked.
“Some, not much.”
“Then we go get you food”, Jere said.
There was supposedly a bike on the premises that one could use to ride to the supermarkets in the village, and a mobile store also stopped near the site once a week.
“You look even hotter in real life”, Jere blurted out and then seemed embarrassed by his own words. “You make OnlyFans too?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Or at least Bojan was trying to.
Jere apparently had a fairly successful OnlyFans account and Tomi helped him out, whatever that meant in this context. He discussed it like any other job, which made Bojan slightly envious. Hopefully at some point he could tap into that kind of ease, too.
Jere handed his phone to Tomi who connected it to the audio system. Rap music started blasting, presumably in Finnish. Rap wasn’t among Bojan’s favorite music genres, but he liked some of it and this track grabbed him from the very first bar.
“This is my mixtape”, Jere announced proudly, though he also seemed nervous about Bojan’s reaction.
“It’s very groovy! You still make music too?”
“Not sure. It’s a long story and a bit embarrassing, I tell you later.”
It seemed like somewhat of a touchy subject, Jere’s first words ringing with a hint of sadness.
“You are singer too?”
“Yeah”, Bojan answered. “Also a long story.”
Perhaps not that long, but not something he would divulge to strangers the first time they met.
They had only got to the second track before reaching their destination. Bojan hoped he would be hearing more.
He could tell some people recognized Jere in the store. The Finn was happy to stop for a quick chat, but someone tried to covertly film him and he gave that guy the finger. Bojan was impressed.
The seemingly empty village boasted a supermarket of a respectable size, nothing like the corner store he had expected. The selection was great, the prices Bojan was much less keen on. Finnish strawberries in particular seemed to cost an arm and a leg.
The only thing missing were drinks stronger than beer. Jere said those were available at a separate liquor store, but Bojan could do without. With the Finnish prices he should probably have gone teetotal and ditched the smokes, too.
Jere and Tomi helped Bojan carry his haul to the car. He was struggling to comprehend the stereotype of quiet, aloof Finns. Tomi was on the quiet side, for sure, but there was a gentle warmth to him.
The cabins were much smaller than Bojan had expected. He felt relieved when Jere directed him to one next to his and Tomi’s. He wondered how the Finns would manage together in such a small space. It was like living with someone in a single room.
When there was a knock on the door, Bojan already felt a twinge of joy about seeing Jere again. The Finn was like a safe anchor in this unfamiliar environment.
“Your house is okay?” Jere asked.
“Yeah, except the microwave doesn’t work and there are no pots and pans for the stove, but I guess I’ll manage.”
There was also no oven underneath the two burners, so heating up things was going to be tricky. The kitchen was very bare-bones, though some former inhabitants had left stuff like oregano there. At least there was a working coffeemaker. Finns apparently considered coffee more important than food.
“You can use our microwave”, Jere proposed.
“I appreciate the offer, but you would quickly grow tired of me if I barge into your cabin once or twice a day to heat up something.”
Jere looked puzzled, as if he couldn’t comprehend what Bojan was saying because it made no sense.
“Bojan, if you need help with something, you just ask. If it’s too much, then I say no, but this is not even me, just a kitchen machine.”
“That’s very kind and generous of you”, Bojan said. “Thanks for all the help. How can I do something in return?”
“No need. But if you want, maybe we think of something, yes?”
Jere had already followed him on Twitter, too, and Bojan reciprocated. He had no idea what to make of the Finn. There was something almost brash about him, but he was also incredibly kind and buzzing with a unique energy that had the Slovene intrigued.
All those qualities only served to further accentuate Jere’s good looks. In a different situation, Bojan could see himself developing a crush on him.
Jere called Tomi his OnlyFans assistant, which probably implied something other than a secretary. Bojan’s gaydar suggested Tomi didn’t swing that way, but it wasn’t like those things were infallible. They didn’t act at all like a couple, though perhaps that was just how they were used to behaving with strangers. Inconspicuous.
Bojan didn’t come here seeking romance, anyway.
***
The best part about the cabin was the gorgeous view to the lake. Jere claimed Finland boasted nearly 200,000 lakes, a figure that boggled Bojan’s mind. There were probably at most hundreds in Slovenia. Having his morning coffee on the porch, listening to birdsong, made for a lovely start to the day. Finnish coffee tasted strange, but he would get used to it.
Bojan’s cabin, the one of Jere and Tomi and a third one were nicely situated around a small bay slightly apart from the others. In the third cabin they had a female neighbor, a young Norwegian woman who seemed friendly and cool. Alessandra also did OF, even if you wouldn’t have immediately guessed that from her looks or vibe.
Cabins further away housed more traditional influencers with long blonde locks and Bojan suspected all kinds of beauty procedure, as they looked peculiarly alike. Probably nice people too, but they hadn’t really interacted. They likely weren’t very successful, or they wouldn’t be here, as they only had their flights and accommodation covered.
There were shared activities meant for the whole posse, though Bojan opted to skip most of them. Some of it was just sitting around the campfire and playing the guitar and games meant to have people make acquaintance, activities which Bojan enjoyed but they perhaps didn’t quite hit their mark with this target group.
A sailing excursion was supposed to take place on the third day, which he was keen to attend, but it was canceled because of a thunderstorm. In the later weeks there would be trips to the local church ruins, to summer markets in different countryside towns and to a famous historical chuch.
There was a sauna, obviously. Bojan headed there almost daily, usually with Jere and Tomi. There were few men around and no other guys seemed to make use of the men’s hours. Bojan loved that he could do most things together with his new friends.
He indeed ended up going to Jere’s place to heat up his microwave dinners. The macaroni casserole was mushy and bland, but made for decent comfort food, while the liver casserole that Jere recommended he did not enjoy quite as much. The pastries with rice porridge nestled inside a thin rye crust were tasty and the local bread was amazing.
Once Bojan headed to the other cabin in the morning to make microwave oatmeal and encountered a grumpy Jere wearing only his boxers. His hair was sticking out and he looked desperately in need of caffeine, but as soon as he saw Bojan, his face softened. He seemed genuinely happy that the Slovene was there with his bowl of oatmeal.
Jere wrapped his bare upper body around Bojan for quite a while, like he was drawing comfort from the Slovene.
“You smell good”, he mumbled.
It was really sweet and nicer than Bojan wanted to admit. He needed a lot of touch to thrive and he had resigned himself to being starved of it for a whole month among the Finns. Thanks to Jere he was yet to miss his fix.
Bojan had a feeling that Tomi didn’t like him much and he wasn’t sure if it was jealousy or something else. He hoped the guy would warm up to him with time.
Jere’s OnlyFans continued to pique Bojan’s curiosity. How explicit was it and how did Tomi feature or was he just assisting with the shots? Jere had called it gay, which made it sound like it wasn’t just his solo effort.
Alas, he was charging 40 euros per month, which was steep, and Bojan was broke. He was hopeful that Jere would let him get a glimpse for free.
Bojan wasn’t sure which direction he wanted to take his own OnlyFans. So far his bare butt had been the most risqué he had gone. His most recent video showed him naked, but cropped from the waist up, suggestively eating an ice cream stick.
Someone with Bojan’s looks could pull it off and make money, but showing more would be more lucrative. His subscribers were not so subtly egging on him to do that.
Bojan wanted to be bolder, that was why he had the account in the first place. If it was only about making rent, there were many other jobs he could have gone for. This was about courage.
There was also the promotional content he had to film for Instagram, but that stuff was a piece of cake. He shot the lake at sunrise, his morning coffee on the porch, a huge anthill he found and a video where he was trying out some local products. Jere helped him film a clip where he was attempting to teach Bojan difficult Finnish words, but they both dissolved into laughter.
Besides dipping in after the sauna, Bojan picked up a habit of going swimming earlier in the day. The water in the lake wasn’t very warm compared to the Adrian Sea, but on hotter days it felt refreshing.
Of course Jere was there, too, and it became a joint activity almost every time. At first they would don swimming trunks, but a few days in, Jere just appeared totally naked. It wasn’t a big deal, they were in the nude in the sauna and after it. Judging from Jere’s tan, he probably went skinny dipping in the regular.
He ditched his swimwear, as well. He had never felt as comfortable about his body as he did here. If only he could transfer this confidence to his online endeavor.
Bojan wasn’t sure if they were playing gay chicken or what they were playing. Jere acted like the nudity wasn’t even there, but the manner he swam, often very close to Bojan, and then toweled himself off afterwards came off as flirty.
It was hard not to stare. Jere was simultaneously toned and soft in a way that made you want to dig in. The way he moved was graceful, sensual and unique. Bojan couldn’t wait to see him dance.
There were also some other situations where he really wouldn’t have minded seeing Jere, but tried not to think about them too much, at least not in the Finn’s company. Certainly not while naked in his company.
“I film you for your OnlyFans?” Jere asked from right behind Bojan in the water.
“Sure.”
He climbed on the wooden pier, wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed his phone. Bojan attempted to swim in a flirtatious way – he felt he was much less successful than Jere – and then sensually dry himself off, his back facing the camera.
“Your ass looks very good”, Jere said thoughtfully as he was reviewing the clip, gaze fixed to the phone screen.
“Thanks? Yours isn’t too bad, either.”
Not too bad was certainly the understatement of the century for Jere’s sensational buttocks.
Bojan’s backside did look pretty good in the clip and it seemed like exactly the kind of content he was looking for. You could glimpse his dick too, but that was okay. This was a good first foray into full frontal nudity before showing an actual erection, which he still felt apprehensive about.
***
Jere had received a free hotel stay and he had been supposed to take a short trip to a nearby city with Tomi. Alas, the other Finn was not feeling well and it could not be rebooked.
Jere looked bashful when he asked if Bojan wanted to join, as if he was afraid the Slovene would turn him down, afraid he was asking for too much. Like there was any chance Bojan would have said no.
In the car he braved up and asked Jere if he could play his own music for the Finn from his phone. He went for Joker Out’s second album Demoni, which the other seemed to enjoy.
“You have any music in English?”
“Yeah, but I would rather not talk about it right now”, Bojan said. “The story is a bit of a downer.”
Jere looked puzzled and curious.
“Which one was your favorite?” Bojan asked.
The Finn nodded his head rhythmically to refer to the title track Demoni, which made sense as it was the closest to the EDM beats of his own music.
“Your voice is very beautiful”, he added. Bojan had heard that many times, but coming from Jere, it made him feel all fuzzy and warm.
“I liked your voice too.”
Jere waved his hand as if any such comparison was absurd.
The hotel was located by a lake, because what wasn’t in Finland. Jere went to check them in while Bojan waited in the lobby.
“It is one bed, very big bed but only one”, the Finn said apologetically. “I hope that is okay?”
“No problem, I’ve shared a bed with my bandmates many times.”
Jere looked visibly relieved. To Bojan, the idea of sharing a bed with him was titillating. With how tactile and affectionate the Finn was, at least Bojan might be lucky to get some sleep cuddles. He wasn’t opposed to more heated action, either.
The room looked slightly dated, but it was huge, almost like a suite, with a huge bed where they sadly would have plenty of room. They even had their own private sauna which made Jere giddy, despite it being less than 24 hours since their last visit to a sauna. That was for later.
The weather was gorgeous and very hot, over 30 degrees Celsius with unusually high humidity. It made Bojan break out in sweat as they climbed into an observation tower perched atop a hill, despite the stony walls providing some welcome cooling. It looked like a prison tower from the outside, grim and slightly creepy among the lush landscape.
The gorgeous view was what Bojan would have expected: lakes and forests. It made you feel like Finland was infinitely spacious. In Slovenia that tower would have probably let you see half the country.
There was something still bothering Bojan and when they had made their way down, he had to ask:
“Are you and Tomi together?”
“What? No. We are friends. He’s straight and I’m straight as well. Or mostly.”
Bojan furrowed his brows in confusion.
“What does ‘straight, or mostly’ mean?”
Jere was quiet for a moment and another and Bojan already started dreading that he had asked something inappropriate.
“I like women but I like trying different stuff, too”, Jere finally responded. “Maybe there is some man who can change my mind.”
There was, of course, a long tradition of dudes who identified as heterosexual yet still enjoyed fucking other men, which Bojan had always considered slightly rude.
“I’m not judging or anything, but isn’t it a bit weird to create gay OnlyFans content with a male friend if you both consider yourself straight?” Bojan dared to ask.
“Maybe. But my brand is to be weird. Shock people. Like if someone is gay, not many people in Finland care any more. But if they have to think about gay sex, they are like this.”
Jere mimed an exaggerated face of disgust. The sentiment was something Bojan certainly recognized. In Slovenia, people his age were much less homophobic than older generations, but they most definitely didn’t want to think of gay men actually getting it on.
And Jere was unique for sure. Bojan felt like was developing culture shock, not related to Finland but Jere. It was probably just what he needed.
“Maybe I’m just a mess”, Jere added after a long pause.
“Maybe we all are”, Bojan provided, making the other smile.
The spa had Bojan beam with childlike excitement. His home country was full of great spas yet he hadn’t visited one in way too long. An older woman complained when they cackled too loudly in the jacuzzi. Apparently the place “wasn’t meant for that”. Jere rolled his eyes at her when she couldn’t see it anymore. Oh, Finnish people, so keen to ration other people’s joy.
There weren’t too many kids present, so they rode the waterslide over and over again. As soon as they made their way down, they sprinted back up the stairs for another round. That really hit the spot for Bojan. The last year had been too serious and somber, not enough waterslides.
They only left at closing time. Back in their room, Jere put the sauna on and produced a bottle of vodka from his backpack. Finlandia vodka, of course.
“Wanna get drunk?” he asked.
Maybe it was the way his eyes sparkled, but somehow that sounded like a great idea, the mingling of two booze-loving cultures. Jere mixed in some Coke and they toasted in two different languages.
“I have an idea”, Jere said. “For you and me. You want to hear?”
That sounded scary and Bojan wasn’t sure if he wanted to. Scratch that, he wouldn’t have missed it for anything. The night seemed ripe for dangerous things and he was ready for that, ready for some wilder kinds of waterslides.